To improve the lighting or electrical services in their homes, homeowners frequently retrofit their homes with additional electrical devices or light fixtures. Typically this is done by locating an appropriate stud, removing the sheetrock, and installing a standard electrical box or frame member that is secured to the studs with fasteners. This method typically involves replacing or repairing a substantial amount of sheetrock around the newly installed electrical box.
An alternative method includes an electrical box or frame member with flip out arms. In this method, a hole is made in the sheetrock and the electrical box or frame member is pushed through the hole. The hole in the sheetrock must typically be made larger than the box or frame member in order to accommodate the flip out arms as they are passed through the wall. After passing through the sheetrock, the arms are rotated outwards from the box or frame member and fasteners tightened to draw the clamps and box tight against the sheetrock. One problem with this method is that the homeowner must make a hole large enough to accommodate the flip out clamps that extend outward from the sidewalls of the electrical box. Typically the electrician makes a hole with a knife or saw and then enlarges the hole around the perimeter to accommodate each of the clamps. Mounting a conventional box or conventional frame member with rotatable arms therefore typically takes anywhere from 10 to 12 minutes. Given the rates charged by qualified electricians, this excessive installation time can make the installation of additional electrical services very expensive.
What is needed is an inexpensive, mechanically simple electrical box or frame member that can be quickly installed on a wall with minimal effort. Installation of the box should require only a standard size hole-saw for preparing the wall for the box or frame member.